Decorate a t-shirt using bleach and stencils with images of your choosing, perhaps stars and stripes for the Fourth of July. The folks at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum are kind of partial to Western imagery!
Materials:
- T-shirt (darker colors work best) or any other piece of cotton clothing such as a bandanna
- Stencils and contact paper or tape and stickers. Whatever you use, it’s important that the bleach water won’t soak through the material and that the material sticks to the fabric so that the bleach spray doesn’t bleed around the edges.
- Spray bottle
- Bleach (Kids should ask for adult assistance!)
Instructions:
- Choose your designs. Print, cut them out and trace them onto contact paper, or use stickers or tape to create a design. Be creative!
- Stick your designs to the t-shirt.
- Lay the t-shirt flat and place newspaper, plastic bags or cardboard inside so the bleach spray doesn’t bleed through to the other side of the shirt.
Mix the bleach in a ratio of 1 part water to 2 parts bleach in the spray bottle. (1/8-cup water and 1/4-cup bleach was enough for one t-shirt and one bandanna with plenty leftover.)
- Lay the t-shirt in the sun in a wellventilated area. Spray lightly across the t-shirt; don’t saturate the fabric. Repeat light sprays until you reach the desired lightness. Let dry between applications to let the sun do its thing. Caution: be aware of how the wind is blowing or you may end up bleaching what you are wearing as well!
Visit nationalcowboymuseum.org for the latest details, including the grand opening of the new Liichokoshkomo’, featuring hands-on outdoor play for kids and families.